NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – September 11, 2026
Out Now! Icelandic Sorcerous Folk Metal HRAFNABLÓT Debut Album “Guðlaugar Saga”
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L-R Hrafnablót Line-up | Steingrímur Viðar Karlsson (Guitar) | Ólafur Daði Jónsson (Keyboards) | Hugrún Hanna Stefánsdóttir (Vocals) | Andri Pétur Dalmar (Drums) | Þórgnýr Einar Albertsson (Bass) | Mara Birna Jóhannsdóttir (Guitar)
Photo Credit: Þórgnýr Einar Albertsson
Icelandic sorcerous folk‑metal band Hrafnablót proudly announces the release of their debut full‑length album, “Guðlaugar Saga,” available everywhere today, September 11, 2026. The album marks a major milestone for one of Iceland’s most compelling new metal acts, an ensemble known for ritualistic live performances, dramatic storytelling, and a sound forged from the contrasting light and darkness of Icelandic magick.
Formed in late 2024, Hrafnablót has quickly become a rising force in Iceland’s metal scene, performing at Íslenski rokkbarinn, Lemmy, BIRD, and the Icelandic Sorcery Festival. Their music blends heavy riffs, folk instrumentation, haunting melodies, and both clean and harsh vocals, creating what the band calls their own brand of sorcerous folk metal.
Giving listeners a sweeping sonic journey inspired by Icelandic nature and folklore, Hrafnablót’s debut concept album “Guðlaugar Saga” follows Guðlaug, a modern‑day woman pulled back into Iceland’s settlement age with nothing but her clothes and a taser. Across seven full songs and two spoken‑word pieces, the album traces her vivid, time‑bending saga, from Spádómurinn, a seer’s whispered prophecy over Icelandic winds, into “Dísablót,” where a driving ritual‑bound riff launches her story. “Heljarhlíð” delivers melodic death‑metal intensity and dual vocals as she’s forced into battle, while “Fögnuður” bursts into a celebratory folk‑metal anthem. Darkness rises in “Nornarheimt,” the album’s harshest track, as brigands kidnap her, followed by “Svartigaldur,” a metallized sea‑shanty built on an old Icelandic folk melody. “Heimþrá” offers a melodic, keyboard‑led moment of homesickness and dark magick, before the saga reaches its climax in “Örlagavegur,” an 11‑minute epic of shifting meters and fate as Guðlaug confronts her final choice.
“When writing the album, we knew right away we wanted to create a strong and cohesive narrative and to feature the stark contrasts present in Icelandic folklore and Sagas. The album features seven songs, along with a spoken word interlude and intro, weaving together influences from Icelandic magick, history, and culture. The sound can most aptly be described as sorcerous folk metal, drawing influence from the contrasting darkness and light of Icelandic folk culture as well as sonic influences from Nordic folk metal, NWOBHM, various gothic and miscellaneous extreme metal genres,” adds the band.
Recommended for fans of Ensiferum, Nightwish, Wintersun, Skálmöld, and Eluveitie, “Guðlaugar Saga” is now available on all digital platforms, CD, and Vinyl.
CD, Vinyl – https://elasticstage.com/hrafnablot/releases/gudlaugar-saga-album
Bandcamp – https://hrafnablot.bandcamp.com/album/gu-laugar-saga-2
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/album/74tlHFVXjDeUJ8OUUcIHOK
Previous Singles:
Music Video – “Svartigaldur” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDPpHb_Qf1s
Music Video – “Dísablót” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tI34l6OrGc
Music Video – “Heljarhlíð” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4mEwniTdVA
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Track Listing:
1. Spádómurinn – 1:49
2. Dísablót – 5:44
3. Heljarhlíð – 6:22
4. Kappar, Meyjar, Komendur – 1:22
5. Fögnuður – 5:41
6. Nornarheimt – 5:21
7. Svartigaldur – 5:17
8. Heimþrá – 4:59
9. Örlagavegur – 11:23
Album Length: 48:02
Band Line-up:
Hugrún Hanna Stefánsdóttir – Vocals
Þórgnýr Einar Albertsson – Bass & Backing Vocals
Ólafur Daði Jónsson – Keyboards & Backing Vocals
Steingrímur Viðar Karlsson – Guitar & Backing Vocals
Andri Pétur Dalmar – Drums & Backing Vocals
Mara Birna Jóhannsdóttir – Guitar
For more info:
https://www.facebook.com/hrafnablot/
https://www.instagram.com/hrafnablot
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“A band from Iceland may have delivered the best Folk Metal of the year. Hrafnablot is not afraid to do things on an album that other artist would not dare to do. This is an exceptional album that catch your attention from start to finish. I rate this album the perfect 10.” – Project Metal Music
“Guðlaugar Saga is a debut with great ambition. Hrafnablót take Icelandic folklore, Sagas and magic and transport them into a modern Folk Metal framework, adding NWOBHM, Gothic, Melodic Death and Extreme Metal elements. But the real power lies elsewhere. In the story. In the contrast. In the fact that a woman from modern Reykjavík suddenly finds herself in a world where she shouldn’t exist. And instead of just waiting to be saved…she learns to survive. Guðlaugar Saga has everything a good concept album needs: a world, a hero, a conflict, a mythology and a road of no return. And if the first singles are any indication of what’s to come, Hrafnablót have created a debut that could put their name on the map of modern Nordic Folk Metal. The Sagas were never finished. They were just waiting for the next voice to tell them. And this time…the voice comes from Reykjavík.” – Rock N Roll Town
“The idea of combining retro-heavy, proto-doom and then classic Viking metal with the Icelandic language is nothing short of brilliant – and honestly – incredibly obvious. Hrafnablót has definitely got something going and is a name to keep an eye on, because they could very well become something big.9/10” – HeavyMetal.dk
“What makes “Guðlaugar Saga” work is its refusal to treat folk metal’s contrasts both brutal and beautiful, cold and warm as gimmicks, instead using them as narrative tools that build toward something. For listeners already invested in the genre’s melodic, story-driven corner, this is a record built for a full, uninterrupted listen.” – Female Fronted Power
“Iceland’s Hrafnablót and debut single ‘Svartigaldur’ a heavy piece of pagan folk metal; for the tale of a time traveller lashed to Viking mast accused of being a witch. With symphonic metal richness, black metal energy, traditional melodies, theatrical vocal harmonies and soaring, clean female vocals, it’s quite a ride!” – Loud Enough Magazine
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